As UFO investigators we are in the business of trying to draw the most logical conclusion from the available data. Accurately judging the distance and size of light sources in the darkness is extremely difficult because we draw conclusions about size and distance by mentally comparing what we observe to “knowns” and in the dark we have few if any references.

Since you have made a report thereby initiating a follow-up investigation, I am asking that you provide the compass direction where you first observed the unknown illuminated object and the compass direction that you last observed the light(s).

I am also asking you to take a look at the YouTube links below about Chinese Lanterns. As you can see, a couple of people can launch multiple Chinese Lanterns, they can be purchased from fireworks companies, and they can be seen from a long way off:

Take a look and let me know what you think. If you are still convinced that your observation was a true high strangeness event, and then let me know. There are some truly extraordinary and unexplainable events that are occasionally observed by witnesses who are in the right place at the right time; I do not believe most of these reports are in that category.

I know this may not be what you want to hear, but it is very unlikely that Non-Human Intelligence has manifested as slowly drifting orange flickering lights in heavily populated areas in the midst of many fireworks displays.

We have to apply critical analysis to maintain our credibility as investigators and I believe most of the July 4th reports are IFOs/Man-Made (Chinese Lanterns).

Note to Commenters:If you are reporting a sighting, be sure to include the location (city, state, country), date and time of your sighting. Be detailed in your description. You may also use our report form to report your sighting. Comments will be published if they are in "good taste" and not inflammatory.

A big Thanks for comparing Chinese Lanterns and Orange UFOs, William. Based on the information on these above clips the objects are not the same in many characteristics of the ones that I saw. First would be the sheer size judgement at least 30 to 50 feet in diameter. The objects also moved like a ‘wheel.’ – They had no hang basket. The light intensity is also quite different. The objects I saw were all pure bright orange with no white light in nucleus. I have seen many UFO’s night and day. The display witnessed in northern Ontario July 1,2012 was definitely “Out of this world.”

Thanks for these informative videos. I have never seen Chinese lanterns myself, and as a former firefighter do not care to around our neck of the woods. I don’t recall hearing of anybody cited for starting a forest fire in the past, but I expect that they are so popular now that it has likely already occurred. It may be more of an urban pass time. Who can resist fire?

But a bigger question involves the intent to use these to hoax UFOs. I have to question that if they are so popular now, is it in response to the proliferation of orange orb sightings, rather than being the cause? My first sighting in the mid 1960s did not resemble these in appearance or behavior. I have more recently seen an amber colored orb or light of similar appearance, but did not meet the qualifications for a Chinese lantern either. Some of us see these these things more often than others, and we don’t know why, other than we might look for them. In doing so, we see how much there is floating around up there. I think most of us are careful to try to find the earthly explanation. But it is easy to be deceived by the most common things, and with our technology now the opportunities for intentional deception abound. It all spells out UFO awareness on a large scale which is progress in my eyes.

The other thing we are likely to see hoaxed a lot are triangular lights on RCs. Triangles are frequently reported these days. Just last month we were camping in a remote but popular rock-hunting area. We had the whole valley to ourselves. The first night we noticed faint lights on top of a butte in view of the campground. We realized that they were in a triangular pattern, spaced about 30 feet apart. It mystified us for sure. But they remained stationary. By the next day we arrived at the conclusion that if we saw them again, they were likely solar yard lights, set up by some yayhoos who thought it would be funny to have them viewed from the campground by someone, someday. They did come on each night after sunset. We’re satisfied with our conclusion. This just shows that funny guys are inspired to play UFO tricks, based upon the reports that are most frequent. They don’t realize how badly they cloud the issue by doing this, nor do they realize how serious an issue it is. In the case of triangles, there is a lot of speculation about earthly and/or unearthly origin, either of which spells out secrets of potentially huge importance being kept from the public.

This thing did not move like a sky lantern or an airplane. It hovered in the clear night air. It was a reddish-orange color with reddish orangish lights going across. It was hovering and the lights were blinking: 1-2-3 several times before it disappeared. “Oh,” and one more thing: I was looking out my bedroom window of the right side of the house, and it was to the northwest of me. Our city and state is Oceanside, CA, 92057.

During the last full moon just past dusk 4 orbs that I mistook for streetlights until I realized that they were in a stacked formation above the steetlights. It was almost as if it looked like a radio tower. I wondered what the tower was doing in this valley. When I got to my destination a block away I parked and ran out to the street I was driving on. To amazement one orb was hovering over the street. There was no noise and the sighting lasted for a few minutes before scooting off SE over the gorge. Whew, I have never seen one up close.

On December 12, 2012, south of San Antonio, TX near Pleasanton, Texas, I watched a bright orange light for 15 minutes. I stopped my car near it. It had no green or red lights like airplanes have. It had four white light in a square pattern pointing straight down on the bottom side. The craft was shaped like a triangle. It slowly moved north toward San Antonio, TX. It made no sound. It was about 800 to 1,000 feet above the ground.

While looking south on a clear Dec 22 night 2012, I saw 6 orange/red orbs in formation, following each other going northeast. I called my husband outside to look and he said he had never seen anything like it before either especially when the fifth one darted to the side to let the sixth one get ahead of it. At first I thought the initial one I saw might be a meteorite, but when the others followed, equidistantly in formation, I knew it would not have been that. Can Chinese lanterns follow equal formation?

No one has clarified whether or not Chinese lantern formations can travel in a strictly horizontal fashion (not ascending nor descending) when there is no wind. I would also like to know what their top speed and altitude would be assuming all of these factors (i.e. hold formation, horizontal travel and no wind). I have such a video from my sighting and have seen your Chinese lantern videos (above). I do not think what I witnessed were lanterns. Anyone want to comment?

I was 14 to 16 years old. It was a cold, clear night in 1982 or so and I always took a short cut through this ladies yard when coming from my buddy’s house. One night I came through the yard and there were two lights in the sky. They were just sitting there. They reminded me of the red lights on school buses. They weren’t blinking though. They weren’t that far away. Each looked to be the about the size of 2 Volkswagon beetles stacked wheel to wheel like a ball. They were to my left at about 11:30 on a clock. They looked to be about as high as a 10 story building. It was hard to tell distance, but I could see a solid reddish light inside of a transparent reddish light. They were perfectly round. The light on the left moved slowly to the right on a straight line and almost touched the other light then, immediately moved back to it’s original position at the same speed. It paused for maybe 5 seconds then shot up in the sky. It took off going slightly to my left and it didn’t shoot straight up. It was at an angle sort of how a plane takes off. It took off like it was at the end of a whip. You know like when you crack it and bring it back? It looked like somebody pulled it back. It didn’t make a sound and it was the fastest most amazing movement that I have ever witnessed. If I would have blinked, I would have missed it. The other one was still sitting there. I felt like I was being watched. My house was directly across the street and I wanted to get a better look so I got my key out, bolted across the street, opened the door without any problems, ran in less than ten feet, grabbed my dad’s binoculars off the shelf, ran back out and it was gone. I don’t know what those things were but I’m obviously not the only one to see them. It wasn’t until I saw them on the history channel that I decided to try and let somebody know that I saw them too. It happened in Baltimore Md. near Liberty Road and Washington Avenue. That is my story and it was real. I feel privileged to be one of the few that has ever seen these things and can honestly say that we are not alone. They are watching us for some reason and are very sneaky.
They definitely weren’t lanterns.

I came home one evening and as I was pulling into my driveway I saw this bright light south of my house. All I could do was try and take a picture of it. I managed to get two photos.This light was traveling pretty fast. As I said it was Southwest of my driveway and was heading Northerly. I snapped one photo, and by the time I got the other one was a matter of seconds. I snapped the second photo and then it was gone. I have the photos on my computer and will send them if you would like them. I really feel that what I saw was not from this Earth. Where can I send them? P.Pinto